Soft Batch Candy Corn Cookies

I am LOVING this beautiful fall weather! It’ still warm outside, but not oppressively so, and we can keep the windows open in the house. I also love all the cute fall decorations on the houses — pumpkins, scarecrows, jack-o-lanterns. And of course, the BEST thing about fall is football. Here in Alabama, there are Auburn or Alabama wreaths on doors, flags on houses and cars, and pretty much everywhere. But another tell-tale sign of fall’s arrival is found in grocery store aisles….candy corn!

My husband LOVES candy corn. Like, he doesn’t agree that it’s only a seasonal treat and not available year round. So, to satisfy the hubby’s candy corn craving, I’ve posted a couple other candy corn treats here on the blog, Candy Corn Brownie Pizza and Halloween Bark, both of which were delicious!

These Soft Batch Candy Corn Cookies are super soft and buttery. The key to getting your cookies nice and soft is the corn starch. Also, making sure your dough is cold when you bake it keeps the cookies plump and not flat. Be warned with this recipe though…the candy corns can melt and make a sticky mess on your cookie sheet. See below:

When forming the dough balls, try your best to wrap the candy corn in dough to prevent the candy from touching the sheet itself and creating the melty, sticky mess. I did my best to do so, and still ended up with what you see above, so I don’t know if it can be 100% avoided. But I cooked my second batch on a silpat baking mat, and it helped tremendously! So definitely use one if you have it!

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric hand mixer), cream together the first 5 ingredients (butter through vanilla) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Add the next 5 ingredients (cream through optional salt), and mix on low speed for about 1 minute, just until incorporated. Do not over-mix.

Add the candy corn, white chocolate chips, and mix until just incorporated.

Scoop dough into heaping two-tablespoon mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. (Don't skip this step. If you use warm dough, the cookies will spread and flatten)

Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center.

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

If you didn't plan ahead for the 3 hours of refrigeration time, you can stick the dough mounds into the freezer for about 30-40 minutes until chilled and firm.

Important - Strategically place candy corn so that it's not baking directly on cookie sheet because it will melt/burn. The candy corn pieces need to be in the interior of the cookies.

Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.